Where are we Going, Michael?
by BradyBunchFan517
Summary: Set during the final acts of Scent of Roses (in my KR!verse, it's the final episode, thus post-Voodoo Knight) After Stevie was killed, what happens to Michael? Would he make the right decisions? And what would he do after that? Would he return to the Foundation or stick to his original decision to leave?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: The story picks up during the final act of „The Scent of Roses", during the scene where Michael goes after Durant. David Hasselhoff originally wanted for Knight Rider to end with this episode, so in my KRverse it is the original series finale, so this episode takes part post-„Voodoo Knight".**

 ** **The first chapter here is the extension of the final act.****

* * *

Durant (or Ronalds, or whatever his name was) was trying to run away from the collapsed platform, but as he was now limping his right foot, he wasn't able to run far from the younger man, who now jumped out of KITT and darted towards him, pulling him down to the ground.

Durant threw a punch at the other man in self-defense, but he had made a grave mistake a few hours ago. He was no match for Michael Knight, overcame by blinding rage at the man who killed his wife just minutes after they were wed, who now threw a punch at him. Michael took Durant down, rolled him over and began hitting him in blind fury. Would Durant survive that?

„Michael, Michael, stop it!" KITT intervened. „You wouldn't be able to live with yourself!"

„I got to, KITT!" Michael shouted back, as he prepared to throw another punch at Durant. „It's justice!"

„Justice, Michael?" KITT questioned him. „Or _revenge_?"

KITT's words made Michael stop. He stopped throwing punches at Durant, but continued to hold him in a tight grip. Would he make the right choice if he killed Durant? After all, there was the saying, "If you kill him, you'll be just like him". Even if Durant was officially his least favorite person, then would killing him solve anything in the long run? Right now, he had the upper hand, and Durant would face the punishment anyway, no matter if it was in his hands, or legally. Stevie was dead now, killing Durant wouldn't bring her back. But would the vengeance make him a better person?

Would it make him feel good? Would it be a moment's pleasure, or would he still feel empty? And like KITT asked him, would he be able to live with himself? Or would he one day wake up and feel sorry for his actions?

What would become of him if he killed Durant? Would Devon, Bonnie, RC3 and KITT want to work with him anymore, or would they see him as a mean, dirty killer? Could he even work in the Foundation anymore in the first place? Yes, recently he was contemplating leaving the Foundation, but Stevie's death had made him a bit unsure on it. Even Devon had tried warning him not to go after Durant himself and kill him. _There is a judicial system_ , he remembered Devon's words. Durant would not win anyway after what he did, so would killing him be worth it?

If Durant had killed Bonnie, Devon, or RC3 instead, would Stevie still have stayed married to him if he killed Durant? Or would he have lost both his wife, and his job?

Did he even have the right to play vigilante?

A scene from the Dirty Harry's sequel, Magnum Force, sprang to his mind. Even though Harry Callahan was his complete antithesis, doing his job with massive overkill and property damage, and his tactics were often seen as unethical and met by strong criticism from higher-ups, even Callahan had his moral code and would not join a vigilante death squad, that was hell-bent on killing acquitted dirty criminals.

The world is very imperfect. But would it give him the right to take justice in his own hands?

Would Stevie want him to avenge her? Or would she want him to get on with his life?

 _One man can make a difference,_ Wilton Knight's words came to his mind. But if he killed Durant now, would Wilton be proud of him?

So many questions, so little answers.

Another flashback came to him. About a year ago, he had been investigating the murder of Kevin Morgan at the construction site. When he finally found out who were the masterminds behind the murder, Kevin's widow Janet had then came with a gun and tried to kill the murderer, Kevin's former boss Stephen Barnes, but Michael had stopped her before she could kill him and told her that the cold-blooded murder would not solve anything and would satisfy her only for a moment, but not in the long run.

Quickly thinking it through, Michael made his decision. He pulled Durant up from the ground and shoved him against the wall.

"You're not gonna die today." He snarled coldly. "It's too easy. If you're lucky, you'll be executed after the trial. If not, you're gonna watch your life rot away, in the mirror of a prison cell." Michael punched Durant out and dragged him to KITT. KITT opened the passenger door for him, allowing Michael to slump Durant into the seat.

Michael slammed the door on Durant and for a moment, just stood there with a cold look on his face. He had won, but at the cost of Stevie's death. He really felt empty, but still felt good that he had not stained his soul. Yes, it would take him time to heal from all this, but at least he had not done something he would deeply regret in the future.

Exhausted and emotional, he rested his hands on KITT's roof. Throughout all this, KITT had stayed by him, even though he didn't think that Michael's actions were right. "Thanks, buddy." Michael sighed with a very husky voice.

"I'll always have your back." KITT told him.

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, here's Michael's final confrontation with Durant. Next chapter will be up soon, basically I'm going to largely extend the time window between this, and the tag scene. Th** **e episode referenced is Season 3, Episode 16 "Knightlines".**

 **Please review, but no flames please.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, I'm back. This chapter takes place about the same time as previous chapter, but it's from the rest of the team's perspective.**

* * *

After Stevie's funeral, Devon, Bonnie and RC3 had all returned to the mansion in Pasadena in the Foundation's limo. Needless to say, they were shocked when Michael had announced that he wasn't coming back with them, and would go after Durant on his own. Devon tried to talk him out of it, knowing that after what just happened, Michael might not bring Durant in, but kill him instead.

During his four years of Foundation, Michael had never killed anyone, and they were all hoping it would stay that way. However, they all knew that since Michael had just had to witness Stevie taking the bullets meant for him, just moments after they were wed, there was no way of telling what would be his intentions with Durant.

Currently, the three of them were pacing around Devon's office. The tension was so thick that one could cut it with a knife.

If Michael killed Durant, what would it mean for him? Not to mention for all of them? The Foundation might be at risk of being shut down, all because the one man who could make a difference, and had done his work excellently so far, had acted on emotion and had committed a murder.

But they all did sincerely feel sorry for Michael. First, after getting shot on the job, he was depressed and lost his zeal to continue on as the one man Wilton had wanted him to be. Then, to set up his new life, Stevie came back, and gave his life a meaning. Albeit that it wasn't meant to be that way. It was very unfortunate - no one should get widowed, much less die just less that five minutes after getting married.

Even if Michael would not kill Durant, what would happen with the Foundation in the long run if he would still stick by his decision and quit the Foundation? Who would become the new man who can make the difference? Or would there even be a chance that they could find one like that?

So many questions, so little answers.

They were all so deep in thought that they nearly missed the familiar whirring of KITT pulling up in front of the mansion.

And in a minute or two, Michael entered Devon's office, where the rest of the team was already waiting.

Dreading the answer, Devon turned to Michael. "What did you do, Michael?"

Still shaken from the recent events, Michael sighed tiredly to Devon. "I-I couldn't kill him. KITT showed me that I would be stooping to Durant's level if I killed him, no matter the circumstance. He and his party is in FBI custody now."

Devon, Bonnie and RC3 sighed with relief, before Devon turned to the other two. "Bonnie, please go check on KITT. And Reginald, could you too excuse me and Michael for a moment?"

"Sure thing, boss." Both Bonnie and RC now left the office.

"Come here, Michael." Michael, still emotional took, walked to the table. "You did the right thing, Michael."

"I don't know, Devon. While it's a good feeling that I didn't stain my soul, I still feel empty."

"I know, Michael. I know. Yes, I haven't been through the same thing you're going through now, and probably the closest thing to it is still the time 40 years ago when I was in love, but had to carry on my duty to the OSS and leave the girl in white dress. But I can surely understand what you're going through."

"She-she took the bullets meant for me." Michael was trying hard to hold back tears, as he spoke in a sad voice. "I wonder what our lives would be like if Durant hadn't showed up. Probably, we'd be on our honeymoon right now. But instead, we're putting her in the pine box and-" At this point, Michael couldn't hold back the tears any longer.

Devon rose from his chair and walked over to Michael, pulling him in an embrace. "It's okay, Michael. I know it hurts, but you're not alone with your problem. Me, Bonnie, Reginald and KITT, we're all here for you." When Michael began to sob, Devon gently whispered to him. "Don't hold it inside, Michael. You're only going to hurt yourself, and others if you do it. Cry, please, and let it out."

Now encouraged by Devon, Michael began to cry freely, as Devon kept soothing him. "It's okay, Michael. I'm here, I'm still here."

After a while, Michael's tears died down, and he began to compose himself. "Devon, about my future at-"

"Don't talk about it now, Michael. I'm giving you two months off, and I'm not taking no for an answer. You can have KITT for this time. Go take a vacation, and get your mind together. I won't remove you from the FLAG roster yet, we'll talk about it when you get back."

"Thanks."

"Michael, I can understand perfectly if you would choose not to continue in the Foundation. I know, it's going to take time for you to heal from this experience, getting shot, losing Stevie, but remember that I will always be here for you if you need anything, no matter what. Wilton was right, that one man can make a difference."

"Thanks, Devon." Michael shook hands with his boss, and left the office. There, he bumped into RC.

"Hey, Michael. Will you be okay?"

"I think so, RC."

"I know, this is a real bum rap. You were close to getting married and starting a new life, only to have it taken away from you."

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"Well, Devon insisted on me taking two months off so I could get my act together. Can't really blame him."

"Look, Michael, I'll respect your decision if you would decide not to return to the Foundation after all that. But I'll always have your back if you need a friend."

"Thanks, RC."

"Alright, Michael. Enjoy your vacation."

Michael and RC embraced, then Michael walked into the garage, where Bonnie had just finished maintenance on KITT. Luckily, they had avoided all the rockets Durant had fired at them, although KITT had taken some damage, so KITT didn't require much maintenance at the moment, and was in overall good condition. Also, taking into account all that Michael had just been through, she decided to go easy on him.

"Is KITT all ready?" Michael asked.

"Yes. For once, I didn't even have to perform a ton of maintenance on him."

"Alright, I'm going for a ride, and I'll be about eight to ten weeks, as Devon told me to take time off."

"Well, what can I say then? Have fun."

Michael was just ready to get inside KITT and take off, when Bonnie suddenly stopped him. "Michael?"

"Yes, Bonnie?"

"I know that the latest events have been hard on you, and that you might just want to quit the Foundation. But please know, that if there's anything I can do for you, I'll be there for you. And I know Devon, RC and KITT feel the same way about you too."

"Thanks, Bonnie. I knew it too."

"Even though you're not going on a mission, please don't get hurt and don't die. And please, come back in one piece, and same for KITT. Me, Devon and RC, we all need you."

"I promise I'll do my best. Thanks, Bon."

Michael then got into KITT and started him up, as they headed for a long journey. Soon, they were off the grounds of the Mansion, and heading towards the Interstate.

* * *

 **A/N: Now I'm getting the feeling you may have wanted to read about Michael's relationship with the team. That will be explored in the next chapter, from Michael's perspective.  
**

 **In the meantime, please review. I don't care if it's good or bad, but please, no flames.  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Here's the third, and last chapter. What decision would Michael make? Read to find out!**

 **Now, as for Michael-KITT interaction, I sorta figured that since they would be spending the next two months together, then it could easily fit in here.**

* * *

It was about 8.15 in the morning as Michael and KITT were driving on the long stretch of Interstate 20 in the Lone Star state. They had set off about 14 hours ago, and had already gone through Arizona and New Mexico.

Michael had not slept that night, the memories of that wedding still were haunting him. How he really missed Stevie.

Usually, his drives with KITT were filled with jokes and humor. But not this time, now he was very silent. KITT had sensed that there could be a gap coming between them, and had been trying to avoid it, but at the same time, he was not going to make any jokes himself, which Michael really did not like. He could sense Michael really was not in the mood.

"Are you alright, Michael?" KITT had asked him somewhere between Phoenix and Tucson, around the time they had passed the I-8 interchange.

"I'll be fine, KITT. I'll be just fine." KITT didn't really believe Michael, and although he could not really understand human feelings that well, he still knew about Michael's relationship with Stevie, and how the recent events would affect him.

"Now, Michael, I know that it's all very hard for you. But please, do know that whatever happens, I'll always have your back. Though I think that you already know that."

Of course Michael did know that. After all, it was KITT's dominant programming to protect human life, namely, his. Plus, during their 4-year partnership, KITT had always been loyal to him. Sure, there were exceptions, such as when Graham Deauville, Adrianne Margeaux and Marco Berio had once gained control of KITT and used it against him. But in all cases, they at first would need to either brainwash Bonnie to have her reprogram KITT, lure Michael out of KITT and drug him, or have a girl playing Bonnie and installing a fake memory module, respectively.

But despite all that, Michael knew KITT would always be his loyal companion. Even if he might not always agree with his methods, he had always stood by Michael, as he proved recently.

* * *

 _"All right, blank out the Foundation, keep them shut down." Michael told KITT as he drove to the corner of 1st and Hill Street to receive the location from Durant._

 _"I don't believe what you're doing is right. But I'll stay with you." KITT obeyed Michael and shut down the channels._

 _"Thanks."_

* * *

 **7 weeks later**

Michael had now used up most of the two months Devon gave him off. During that time, he and KITT had travelled through the country.

First they had driven all the way to Dallas on I-10 and I-20. After Dallas, and visiting Austin, San Antonio, Houston and Galveston, Michael and KITT had proceeded on I-10 to Miami. After three days in Miami, they had proceeded all the way north on I-95 to New York, making stops at Savannah, Charleston, Myrtle Beach, Wilmington, Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Hampton Roads area and The Capital.

After 5 days at the Big Apple, Michael and KITT had moved northbound to New England. After visiting Acadia National Park in Maine, they moved back westwards through, going through the White and Green Mountains of New Hampshire and Vermont, to Niagara Falls. Then, after heading for Chicago on I-90, they headed for Seattle, taking the longer I-94 detour. After spending time at Seattle and Portland, Michael decided to take a longer detour through Rockies again - taking I-84 to Salt Lake City.

Throughout the whole trip, KITT had been there for him, soothing him if Michael was close to breaking down. Once, he even managed to give him some very good advice.

* * *

 _"Are you okay, Michael?" KITT asked him. They were currently somewhere in North Dakota, heading west on I-94, and Michael had been very quiet ever since they had left Minneapolis six hours ago._

 _"Oh, sure, KITT. I'll be fine."_

 _"But you're not. I know that you still miss Stevie, and you're still grieving. You don't have to hide that from me."_

 _"Yes, but it's not just that that I miss Stevie. Now, KITT, you remember that I lost the sense in my life, and wanted to quit the Foundation recently. Well, Devon prepared the departure gift for me and brought Stevie back to me. And I was ready to quit Foundation and start a new married life, only to lose it just a few minutes later."_

 _"I know, Michael. I should have kept the Surveillance Mode on."_

 _"KITT, this was not your fault, so don't blame yourself. It's probably mine. Devon was right, relationships in this field of work are dangerous." Michael was referring to what Devon had told him when he, as Michael Knight, had first met Stevie three years ago._

 _"Now Michael, don't be so extreme. Yes, you're right, relationships are dangerous in that field, but I don't mean you should close yourself off forever. Sure, you might not want to date like in the nearer future, but you shouldn't deny yourself true love, just because of that unfortunate wedding."_

 _Michael was silent for a moment. "I don't know what to say, KITT. Thanks, I guess."_

 _"Anytime, Michael. Remember when I was destroyed in Byrock's acid pit, and I was later afraid I might not be able to protect you if we went after him, but you restored my confidence. Figure I owed you one for that. And Michael, please believe, I will always stand by you."_

 _"Thank you, KITT."_

* * *

After they had travelled 10,000 miles across the country, one early morning found Michael and KITT heading south on I-15, in Rancho Cucamonga. Now, he could take the exit to I-210, westbound to Pasadena, where the Mansion was, but he wasn't really in a hurry right now, so he and KITT stayed on I-15, instead going west on I-10 in Ontario. Then, they proceeded all the way to the Interstate's end in Santa Monica, and on to Highway 1 to the beach of Malibu.

Leaving KITT nearby, Michael proceeded down to the beach. He was deep in thought on his future. Recently, he had wanted to quit the Foundation. But Devon had given him two months off, and he had not made up his mind yet. As Devon said, Michael was still on FLAG's roster.

He did definitely love his Foundation family. They had been the team he'd definitely work with. He could remember the time when Deauville had had brainwashed Bonnie and had her reprogram KITT, and how he had, all by himself, broken KITT's reprogramming, by forcing him to act against the dominant programming, which Deauville had ignored.

* * *

 _"I can't kill you, Michael. You know that." KITT said as he came to a complete halt._

 _"I was counting on that, pal." Michael smiled as he made his way over to Deauville. "You made one big mistake, Deauville. KITT was programmed never, ever to take a human life."_

 _Realizing that he had lost, Deauville sprinted towards the truck. Michael attempted to run after him, only to have Bonnie step in front of him. "Stop, Michael!"_

 _"Bonnie, it's all over." Michael tried to break her brainwashing. "We work together, we're a team, you and me and Devon and KITT." Albeit that Bonnie was still resisting. "Now listen to me! We work together to help people. Not to hurt 'em."_

 _At this point, Bonnie had stopped pulling away from him. He just would need to really break the brainwash. "Take my hand, Bonnie. Remember the Foundation? Remember Devon? Remember me? We're a team, and we love each other."_

* * *

Three years had passed from this ordeal. As Michael thought about it now, it dawned to him. The Foundation was a close-knit family, and just as he had told Bonnie back then, and realized now during the last days, they all did love each other. After all, Devon, Bonnie, RC and KITT had helped him through his recent loss, and proved to him that he could always rely on them. They were his family, his only family.

His parents had not been around for many years now. Mr. William Long had died of leukemia on August 3, 1956, at the age of 32. Back then, seven-year-old Michael Arthur Long was deeply affected of it. He just went outside and shot baskets until it went dark, and by then, he was too tired to think about his father's death. Soon, life began to return to normal for him.

After he had graduated from high school in 1967, Michael had gone to college, and a year later, had even tried singing, and a record company had been interested in a demo he made.

But it would last for a mere two years, before another tragedy struck. His mother, Samantha Long, having to cope for the last 13 years with the loss of her husband, and adapting to the single mother role, passed away of stress caused by overworking on April 28, 1969. For 20-year old Michael, it was hard. Just two weeks after her funeral, and having finished up his sophomore year in college, Michael dropped out, and joined the Green Berets instead, serving three years in Vietnam, retiring as a Corporal.

Now, since Michael Long was dead, and he was now Michael Knight, the Foundation was his family. In addition to KITT, being fully behind him all the time, he was also very close to Devon, Bonnie, and recently, also RC.

Of course, he and KITT had a rocky start. But as they worked together to get Tanya Walker, they really grew to like each other, and Michael realized that this would be his life. Sure, he and KITT bickered a lot, but that just made their relationship so good, and they could always rely on one another.

Michael's relationship with Devon hadn't been exactly easy. For Michael being all so stubborn, and Devon rather conservative, they had often butted heads, but they did care for each other a great deal. Eventually, after two years of working together, the two of them had become very close, such as when Michael had to go undercover in LaSalle's operation, they had trusted each other enough to secretly conspire, and not to let Bonnie and KITT in on their secret. Now, they were like a father and son.

And it was about the same with Bonnie. When they had first met, Bonnie had seen Michael as irresponsible and impulsive, and Michael had seen her as bossy and demanding. Clearly, Bonnie was unimpressed with how Michael "took care" of KITT. And she was really annoyed that yet Michael and KITT were so close. While it seemed that there would be some improvement in their relationship after the Helios fallout, the Foundation's very next case had involved Stevie.

A few months later, Bonnie had jumped on an opportunity to continue her studies upstate. Michael, Devon and KITT had been really upset, but they hadn't stopped her from pursuing her dreams. April, one of the other applicants for KITT's head technician, had came in on a one-year contract to replace her, and although she did just as equally good job at maintaining KITT, and even added the Silent Mode and Chemical Analyzer, she just wasn't Bonnie. Michael's relationship with April was completely different from the one with Bonnie, as he rather saw April as a younger sister, and she was more argumentative with Michael and KITT. Plus, neither he and KITT really liked April always pushing them for running all those constant tests. And yet, it seemed that Michael was more annoyed with all that, and more worried for KITT, even though he wasn't known for handling the equipment with care. But for the time being, she was good at maintaining KITT, even though, compared to Bonnie, she was also good at annoying Michael.

When April's contract had expired in the summer of '84, when FLAG was currently having an "off-season", Michael had appealed to Devon, and so April's contract wasn't renewed right away, but would be done if they would not get a new technician by October. As April had left for a vacation in midsummer, Michael and KITT had done some cases with just Devon's assistance. When the C.J. Jackson case brought them up to San Francisco, Michael was kind of hoping that Bonnie would come back to the Foundation after that year. And although Bonnie insisted at first that she was done with the Foundation, in the end she had came back, to stay with FLAG indefinitely. Which meant that April's job at the Foundation was done. So she had left, and for those two years, the FLAG had never heard of her again. Last they heard, she had taken up a job with a French company.

When Bonnie had joined the Foundation for the second time, she and Michael had became closer friends, no longer constantly butting heads over KITT. But she was still immune to his charm.

After he and his friends had helped Bonnie rebuild KITT in hard times, when Devon had been kidnapped, and Michael was dealing with a very powerful enemy, RC was brought in to the Foundation as the Semi driver/mechanic, although lately Devon seemed to want to make RC a second field operative. So, RC had basically also become Michael's younger brother type protégé. Nevertheless, although KITT would always be Michael's main partner, it was good to have him as additional backup when needed.

* * *

So, to conclude, the Foundation was his family. And yet, he had wanted to quit recently. But after the recent events, getting shot at the Data Center, surviving an attempt on his life at the hospital, surviving an assassination attempt at the beach house, and getting Stevie taken from him for good, what would he do now?

 _"And please,_ _come back in one piece, and same for KITT. Me, Devon and RC, we all need you."_ Bonnie's words echoed around his mind. Sure, Bonnie had left for a year once, but she had came back in the end.

As he threw the last pieces of bread to the birds, he remembered something Stevie had told him just a few days before the wedding.

 _"You know, when I was very young, I heard something and for the life of me, I can't seem to get it out of my mind. You may break, you may shatter the vase, but the scent of the roses will hang around it still. The scent of the roses will linger forever. Forever."_

Michael now realized KITT was right, and he shouldn't deny himself true love again and make a martyr out of Stevie. Sure, it wouldn't happen overnight, but still, while Stevie was dead, she wouldn't be gone forever and would always have a special part in his heart, and no one would really fully replace her. But now, he would not have to close himself off. He threw a quick glance at the road, where KITT, his trusty companion of the last four years, was still waiting for him. Realizing where his future rested, Michael took off jogging towards KITT.

„Where are we going, Michael?" KITT asked Michael as he opened the door.

„We're going home, KITT. To family." Michael said as he got inside the Trans Am and pulled the door shut. „We're going to the Foundation."

* * *

 **A/N: Alright, so this is it. I've been kinda lazy recently, plus the holiday season. Anyway, I still wanted to end this story this year, so, there you have it, and, Happy 2016!  
**

 **Michael's past (namely, the years of his parents' deaths, and how he coped with them) is from the 2004 book _Knight Rider Legacy_.**

 **April's post-2nd season story (where she went after that) is from the first-draft script of "Knight of the Drones", I enhanced it a bit. In this one, KITT had mentioned to Bonnie that April had "accepted an offer with a French firm, and it's really hard to find good help these days." This one is at the _Knight Rider Archive_ website.**

 **As for Bonnie "being immune to Michael's charm", well, while I ship Michael/Bonnie, I kinda have my caveats too on it. I could see them getting together some time post-original series, as I think that then Michael, after finally coming to terms with Stevie's death, would no longer be the ladies' man type, and would rather want a more steady relationship. For I do not like Knight Rider 2000 and the 2008 reboot series, in my KR!verse they are not canon.**


End file.
